Two Summer Workshops

Summer is the time for ice cold drinks and hot summer workshops. Here are two art programs worth considering:

The Jim Thorpe Project
is an intensive five-day storytelling workshop held in Jim Thorpe, Pa.,
named after the famed all-around athlete (above, who was not an illustrator or designer). Workshop founder
Victor Stabin (who is) says the event “challenges artists who attend to explore
the areas
that interest them and document these personal
journeys in words and pictures.” The instructors’ combined 100 plus
years of experience (that’s an average of 35 years each) will help
“guide the
students to develop their sketches and impressions
into works of narrative art through critques,
demonstrations and lectures.” Participants
can work in a relaxed environment, recharge
their creative batteries and be challenged
to pursue their own personal artistic visions under the watchful eyes
(a combined vision of 100 years) of Marhall Arisman, Anthony Freda and
Victor Stabin. The workshop runs from Monday through Friday, from 9 – 5, June 21 to
25. For fees and photos go here. And to flip through a book about the program go here.

The School of Visual Arts’ Public Art residency program is a comprehensive seminar series that brings together some of New York City’s
renowned artists, architects, public administrators and critics “for an
intensive, interactive experience.” SVA’s state-of-the-art digital
sculpture facility offers the resources for experimenting with ideas in
an environment that is conducive to creative exploration and supportive
of logistical issues involved in public art pursuits. The virtue of this residency is the interaction with experts in the
field of public art. Students will develop a proposal, model or
prototype for a public art project. Lectures and
walking tours expose participants to a variety of considerations
involved in the conception and fabrication of their artworks, including
site, proposals, engineering, budgeting, installation and presentation. To apply go here. And here’s their Facebook page.

About Steven Heller

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the SVA MFA Designer /Designer as Author + Entrepreneur program, writes a weekly column for The Atlantic online and is the "Visuals" Columnist for the New York Times Book Review. He is also the author of over 160 books on design and visual culture. And he is the 2011 recipient of the Smithsonian National Design Award.